Tag: autism

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Nonfiction I Read in 2025

I don’t read a ton of nonfiction, but I set myself a goal at the beginning of 2025 to read at least 12 nonfiction books over the course of the year. 

My plan was to read one each month, and I kept pretty close to that plan. I doubled up one month and missed one month, so it evened out to 12 total for the year. Most of them were related to Christianity, but I did also read one memoir and one autism-related book. Here’s a breakdown by month:

January – Followers Under 40: The journey away from church for Millenials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha by Rachel Gilmore and Kris Sledge

February – The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby

March – Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark?: The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit by Janet Kellogg Ray

April – The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky

May – Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley

June #1 – God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vine

June #2 – How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice by Jemar Tisby

July – Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry by Beth Allison Barr

August – The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins by Peter Enns

September – Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, Adrian Wood, and Carrie Cariello

October – I missed this month, but thankfully I read two in June so I was still on track to meet my goal for the year!

November – Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop: A Memoir by Alba Donati

December – Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table by Brandan Robertson

Do you read a lot of nonfiction? Were there any standouts this year?

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Autism Out Loud

Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, Adrian Wood, and Carrie Cariello

Summary

Kate Swenson, Adrian Wood and Carrie Cariello are from different parts of the country and backgrounds, but they were brought together by a singular experience: they are each a mother to a child with autism. Together they have shared laughter, tears, victories and the unconditional love that molds their lives.

Kate, Adrian and Carrie have children with very different autism profiles, and in Autism Out Loud they write about their unique experiences on a variety of topics, from diagnosis to caregiving, schooling and aging. Through their varied stories and lessons they’ve learned, these incredible women provide a glimpse of what to expect on the autism journey and show parents that they are not alone.

My Thoughts

I really appreciated how all three of the authors gave us such an intimate view of their lives. They were so willing to be vulnerable in sharing their experience as moms of autistic children. I could relate to a lot of their feelings in this book, and I am thankful I was able to read this book.

The part that I connected with the most was the anxiety about helping an autistic child transition to adulthood and planning for their future. This is a huge source of worry for me and I know I have not done enough yet. It helps to know I am not alone in my struggle.

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The Bride Test

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is book two of The Kiss Quotient series.

This is a fun romance with a quirky twist and a few spicy scenes. The author is autistic and drew on her own experience while writing this series in which each book has an autistic main character. I had read the first and third books in the series but missed this one, so I wanted to fill in the gap.

I really enjoyed this story about Khai Diep, who believes that he has no feelings and is incapable of having a relationship. His mother takes the initiative to bring a woman from Vietnam to the United States to be his fiancee, giving her the summer to convince him to marry her. Their relationship has a lot of twists and turns and some miscommunications, some of which are due to the issues brought up by Khai’s autism.

I think this whole series has great autistic representation, along with an entertaining romance.

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Autism Mother to Mother Luncheon

For the past several months, I have been part of a committee planning a luncheon for mothers of kids with autism. I was in charge of registration, which included communicating with the moms who had signed up for the luncheon as well as getting everything we needed to hand out at registration together.

It was a lot of work and was stressful at times, but it was so worth it! The event took place last Saturday, and we had over 70 moms in attendance. We also provided childcare for about 20 kids. In addition to the lunch itself, there was a program that was simulcast from the main location in Chambersburg to our location in Harrisburg and one additional location in Lebanon.

One of the neat things about the luncheon is that we find different people to design each table and decorate it with china and a centerpiece and small favors for the moms at that table. We also collect gift baskets and other items to raffle off to the moms. The event was hosted by a local church, New Love in Christ, who provided so much support! The pastor’s wife even created some amazing balloon art for the fellowship hall and the sanctuary.

One of the tables
Several of the other tables
Registration Area
Gift Table
Sanctuary Balloon Art
Fellowship Hall Balloon Art

The speaker for the event was Kate Swenson, co-author with Carrie Cariello and Adrian Wood of Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood (which we all got a copy of). She shared about her experiences raising an autistic child and focused a lot on the need to be part of a community instead of living in isolation. It was very encouraging, and I am happy to say that I did make a few new connections that day. I am so glad I decided to get involved with the planning of this incredible event.

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The Kiss Quotient

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Somehow I had read the third book in this series back in 2022, so I decided I should read the first two as well.

These books are sexy romances that feature autistic women at the center of the stories, and I really appreciate the representation of autism in fiction.  It’s important to show that autism presents differently in women than in men and to provide an understanding of the challenges we face. Hoang does a good job of this, especially as she was going through her own journey of being diagnosed with autism at the time.

As for the plot, it was pretty standard fare for a sexy romance.  The main character Stella wants to learn how to enjoy sex and decides to hire a professional to teach her, and that’s how we meet Michael, an escort with his own story to tell. From there, it’s basically a reverse Pretty Woman scenario.

In the end, my take is that it was a fun romance with some good insight into autistic women.

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Catching Up – March 2025

March has been one of my busiest months in a while, and I am ready for things to slow down.

One of the things that has been keeping me quite busy is being on the planning committee for the 10th Autism Mother to Mother Luncheon that is taking place this Saturday. I am in charge of registration, which also includes getting everything ready that we are going to hand out in the folders for each mom. I am glad to be working on that and not more people-intensive things like fundraising or recruiting volunteers, but it has still been stressful at times.

I haven’t been able to do much puzzling because of the luncheon planning. I completed two puzzles on my own and two puzzles with friends at the church brunch & craft event. Even with that, one of the puzzles I did on my own was only 99 pieces!

Here is how far I am on my current puzzle:

I did reach a milestone on my puzzle Instagram – I hit 1000 followers! I am quite pleased by that. I only have 150 followers on my Bookstagram, although probably half of those are people I know IRL and I usually average only 10 likes per post on there. I’m not really sure if it will grow much because most of the accounts I look at to consider following are into romance, romantasy, fantasy, or thrillers. On the other end are more literary accounts, which I prefer but don’t feel I can compare myself to. It is harder to find people similar to myself on there, whereas with puzzles it is quite easy to find common ground and even if their tastes are different from mine, I don’t usually mind too much.

I have also started posting my puzzles and book reviews on my Facebook feed. There are a few people who like them and since they aren’t on Instagram, I do it mainly for them. I get nervous posting books that relate to my faith journey because I have a number of conservative friends on there, but no one has said anything mean or argumentative so far. I don’t really want to spark debates; I just want to share what is going on with me and hope maybe it will make someone think a bit.

Michael is still job hunting, but he has had some success in his health journey. He has been climbing stairs during the winter while it has been too cold to go on walks and can really tell a difference in his stamina. He also weighed in at 199 lbs a few days ago when we saw the weight management doctor, which was very exciting! I am very happy for him to be taking care of himself so well. I wish I could say the same about myself.

Here is a screenshot of my puzzle Instagram when it hit 1000 followers:

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Catching Up – February 2025

Peanut Butter likes to hang out with me while I am working (my desk is in my bedroom). He has taken to jumping up on my desk lately, but often he gets comfortable on my bed. He will turn 12 next month and thankfully is in good health.

Lately I have been spending quite a bit of time helping to plan the 2025 Autism Mother to Mother Luncheon. I am coordinating the registration committee. Online registration for the event opened yesterday, and we have had almost 70 moms sign up already! We can accommodate 100, so we still have a few spots left. I am also working on all the handouts, such as the program, name tags, etc.

I am not super involved in fundraising since it is not one of my strengths, but I did get a gift basket donated by my hairstylist for the raffle we are holding at the event. Here’s a picture of it:

My friend Kim and I have been spending our weekly Saturday lunch and movie get togethers going through the Good Witch movies. We have finished all the ones that took place before the TV show started, so now I am watching the show on my own and we are watching the additional movies together where they fit in the timeline.

For Christmas, I had given Kim a t-shirt that mashes together the Bennet sisters from Pride & Prejudice with the Abbey Road album cover from the Beatles. She wore it yesterday so I was able to get a shot of it:

I have really been enjoying the women’s table group at church. We meet every other Wednesday evening and share a meal and discussion about the recent Sunday sermons. The idea popped into my head a few days ago to suggest that we open the group to non-binary people and, when I suggested it to the group, they all seemed to like the idea. Our leader is going to talk to the pastor who oversees the groups and let her decide the best way to communicate it. I am really happy that they liked the idea.

March is going to be a very busy month with the luncheon planning ramping up and lots of appointments for both me and Michael. Work has also been quite busy with lots of overtime needed to keep up. I’m hoping to be able to still carve out some time to relax and recharge by myself.

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Catching Up – December 2024

This is another catch-up post, but hopefully a bit more of a fun one. I’m not going to talk about work or health issues in this one.

In early November, Michael ran a short D&D campaign for me that he created based on Undertale and Delta Rune. It was actually a lot of fun, and I thought he did a great job writing it, drawing the maps, and running the campaign.

I tried a couple of new things in November as well. I had my first meeting on the planning committee for the 10th Annual Mother-to-Mother Luncheon. This year they are having it in three locations, one of which is Harrisburg. I volunteered to run the registration committee. I also attended a potluck and a support group meeting at a new organization called the Neurodiverse Network. I enjoyed the potluck, but the support group was a bit uncomfortable, especially when someone started saying how much they hate autism moms. I used to fit into that category and, although I have changed a lot of my views over time, I am still bouncing between being an autistic woman and the mother of an autistic adult. I haven’t interacted with them any further, and I doubt that I will.

In mid-November, our good friends Bill & Jenn came for a visit one evening. We had dinner and great conversation. Jenn even played puzzle chess with me and liked it enough that she wanted to play a second round!

For Thanksgiving, Michael was at his dad’s house, so I went to Renee’s for the day. Her boys were there as well as a couple of friends. Her boyfriend Chris cooked the meal, and it was fantastic. The brined turkey was so flavorful and my favorite sides were the sweet potato casserole with pecans and the sausage stuffing muffins. I took a 300-piece puzzle to do with whoever wanted to join in (Colorful Harvest, posted earlier this month).

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Kim & I went to see the movie Wicked. I didn’t really know the story, although I had heard a couple of the songs from the musical before. I absolutely loved it! It was 2 hours 40 minutes, but felt much shorter than that. I can’t wait until part 2 comes out next year!

Here are a couple of pictures I wanted to share. One was taken in the front of my church while I was greeting last Sunday, and the other is a picture of my former dog Baxter with his new owner’s mother’s dog Hudson. I am so glad he is still doing well.

I finally decorated my apartment this week, after having the boxes sit in my living room for a week or so. I would like to get a bigger, fuller tree sometime, but this one will do for now.

This week has been a bit busier. On Tuesday, Suzanne came over. We ordered Panera and started a puzzle. On Wednesday, Renee took me to Gabriella Italian Restaurant for my birthday. We had a great time and some wonderful food. On Friday, Jessyca showed up at my place with a Christmas gift for me, a custom puzzle. I was so surprised and happy to see her again after several months of total silence from her. Today, Michael & I went to an open house at a center that our church is considering a move to. We would need to build a worship space to add to the existing building, but it does seem like a pretty good option for us. I’m looking forward to seeing if things work out for this.

I’ll sign off with a pic of my recent haircut. I’m not going to keep it this short, but I do kind of like how it looks.

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What I’m Reading – February 2024



Where We Meet: A Lenten Study of Systems, Stories, and Hope by Rachel Gilmore, Candace Lewis, Tyler Sit, and Matt Temple – This is a Lenten devotional that my pastor is going to be leading a virtual Bible study on during Lent this year. I have read the introduction and first day of the devotional and am very intrigued to read more.

That’s What Love Is by Amy Rose – This is a novel I got for free on Stuff Your Kindle Day. It’s okay but not great.

What I Recently Finished:

Postscript (P.S. I Love You #2) by Cecelia Ahern – An enjoyable follow up to P.S. I Love You, which I loved. I enjoyed this book.

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery – This was a fun read. 

Leave It To Us by A.C. Arthur – This was a free book from Amazon First Reads, where they let Prime members pick a free book from a short list each month. I enjoyed this one. It had interesting characters and a good story.

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price – This book has been all over TikTok lately and I am glad I read it. I would highly recommend it for anyone recently diagnosed with autism, but I also found good value as someone who has had their diagnosis for awhile.

Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood by Katharina Manassis – I have been reading this book off and on for several months and finally finished it last month. It is a really good book and would be especially helpful for those with autistic children still in high school. Even though my son graduated over two years ago, I still found it worth reading. It gave me a lot of things to think about as I help my son become an independent adult.

Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans – This is an exploration of the Bible from a writer I have recently discovered. Although she passed away a few years ago, her books are still very popular with people looking for answers to their faith questions. I appreciated this book a lot.

House Lessons: Renovating a Life by Erica Bauermeister – This memoir was my first 5-star read of the year. I loved it! I have read some of her novels and loved them as well. This tells the story of her life during a house renovation, but goes beyond that in many ways. Highly recommend!

The Bakery on the Cove by Eliza Ester – This was a free book from Stuff Your Kindle Day. I did not like it at all. The writing was bad and the story didn’t even come to a conclusion at the end. It was like reading one episode of a badly written soap opera. Do not recommend!

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Marriage in the Bible: What Do the Texts Say? by Jennifer Bird – I am very interested to learn more about this topic.

She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up by Sheila Wray Gregoire – Although I don’t have a daughter, I was a girl who grew up in a toxic environment and am hoping this will bring me some insight.

Blank by Zibby Owens – This is my free Amazon First Reads for February.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – January 2024

I haven’t written about what I’m reading since December of 2020, but of course I have been reading all along. According to my records on Goodreads, I read 79 books in 2021, 73 books in 2022, and 58 books in 2023. I have decided to start posting about my reading again.

What I’m Reading Now:

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price – This would have been a great book to have when I was first diagnosed with autism, although much of it relates to more recent discoveries about autism and how it is expressed in various marginalized groups.

Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood by Katharina Manassis – This has some really helpful information for parents of kids on the spectrum. It’s another one I wish I had sooner because a lot of it applies to kids who are still in high school. It is still helpful even with Michael being out of school for a couple of years.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan – This is the first book in The Wheel of Time series. For some reason, I never picked it up back when it was first published in 1990, but I have watched both seasons that are out of The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime, so I thought it would be good to read at least the first book in the series. It’s a good book but harder to read because I already know the basic plot from the show. I have borrowed it from the library twice but not finished it yet, and now the Libby app is showing all copies expired. I’m not sure if I want to finish it badly enough to buy it on Kindle.

What I Recently Finished:

I haven’t finished any books yet this year, so I’m not going to list any books here this month. I plan to start listing books I’ve read with the next update.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I had started this book a long time ago and didn’t finish it, but I have decided to give it another try. I believe this one is mainly about universal reconciliation. I am interested in reading books on the other beliefs about hell as well.

Leave It To Us by A.C. Arthur – I got this book for free as part of Amazon’s First Reads. It looks like an interesting story about three sisters who inherit their grandmother’s beach house.

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern – This is a sequel to P.S. I Love You, which was a great book. I bought it with some of my Christmas money from my mom.

Freckles by Cecelia Ahern – Another book by Ahern, who I enjoy. Also bought with Mom’s Christmas money.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!